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| Amicus Brief in Acuna v. Turkish |
| The Trinity Legal Center filed an amicus brief in the Acuna case, representing the America Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG); Sandra Cano, who was "Mary Doe" in Doe v. Bolton; and, Alveda King (niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.), Caron Strong, Director of our Women's Council on Abortion, and other women hurt by abortion. The brief includes the following:
Statement of interest of the Amici. Sworn testimony of Priscilla Coleman, which cited 49 studies. Charts with summaries of the studies are in the appendix of the Brief. Sworn testimony of Sandra Cano, who was "Mary Doe" in the Doe v. Bolton case. Summary of the arguments in the Brief are as follows: The New Jersey Court erred because the State should not endorse a physician giving medically false information about the status of a woman’s unborn child as it interferes with her constitutional right to decide whether to abort the child. This Court has established that there cannot be a waiver of constitution right without a full understanding of that right, and therefore, there was an infringement of Rosa Acuna's right to decide to abort her child. Failure to properly inform a woman puts her at risk of greater psychological harm, and therefore, this Court should require that accurate and truthful information be given so that she can make an intelligent and knowing decision concerning her constitutional rights. Recent State Legislative findings demonstrate that there is serious physical, emotional, and psychological harm to women who have had an abortion, and therefore, women should be fully informed. The real life experiences of post-abortive women and scientifically validated research demonstrate that abortion hurts women physically and psychologically, and therefore, this Court should require that full and accurate information be given to a woman prior to exercising her right to decide. Excerpts from Priscilla Coleman's Sworn Testimony “Over the course of my professional career, I have spent approximately 18 years conducting research, publishing the results of studies, analyzing the rsearch of others, and performing systematic reviews of the literature for publication in peer-review journals. Based on the research I have done, it is my opinion and I can say with a reasonable degree of scientific and medical certainty that abortion is a substantial contributing factor in women’s mental health problems, including depression and increased risk of death from suicide, natural causes and accidental injury.” Scientific evidence accrued over the last two decades and published in leading peer review journals in psychology and medicine indicates that abortion places women at an increased risk for depression, suicidal ideation, suicide, and death in general. Other well established psychological difficulties associated with abortion include anxiety and substance disorders. Women undergoing this procedure often report additional adverse consequences including unrelenting feelings of regret, shame, guilt, bereavement/loss, and lowered self-esteem, Many women withdraw from family and friends, become preoccupied with the abortion, and develop a sense that their lives will never feel right again. Furthermore, pre-abortion counseling and informed consent are key factors in post-abortion difficulties. It is my opinion and research supports that when a women feels she was misinformed or denied information, this precipitates post-abortion difficulties. 49 studies --Priscilla Coleman, Ph.D Read Brief |
| "Scientific evidence accrued over the lst two decades and published in leading peer review journals in psychology and medicine indicates that abortion places women at an increased risk for depression, suicidal ideation, suicidal ideation, and death in general." |